June 9, 2025
Manitoba Government Begins Public Consultations on Creating a Truly Bilingual Province
– – –Feedback From Manitobans Will Guide Plan to Increase Opportunities for Francophones: Simard
The Manitoba government is asking Manitobans to share their thoughts and ideas on how the province can create an effective road map to making Manitoba a truly bilingual province, Municipal and Northern Affairs Minister Glen Simard, minister responsible for francophone affairs, announced today.
“Our government is committed to recognizing the founding role of the francophone community in Manitoba and these public consultations are the beginning of a process that will lead to Manitoba becoming a bilingual province,” said Simard. “I invite the public to tell us how we can make Louis Riel’s dream of a bilingual province a reality and provide us with suggestions on how to best ensure that francophone Manitobans are better able to engage personally and professionally in their language of choice.”
These online consultations are targeting members of the public and will help inform the development of a strategy to support a bilingual province. In addition to getting feedback from the public, the province will also be working with stakeholder organizations to get their suggestions on how the provincial government can achieve the shared goal of expanding access to the French language.
“During a broad consultation process led by the SFM in 2014 and 2015, many voices from Manitoba’s francophone community expressed their clear desire: to make Manitoba a truly bilingual province,” said Derrek Bentley, president, Société de la francophonie manitobaine. “Today, the public consultations launched by the government represent a concrete step toward this goal, a key step in building a Manitoba where French and English fully coexist and thrive. I invite everyone, regardless of their background, to join this collective commitment. Together, let’s make our voices heard to build a more inclusive and prosperous province.”
Members of the public who wish to provide more detailed written remarks and suggestions can send documents and messages by email to bilingualmanitobabilingue@gov.mb.ca. The same email address can also be used for people wishing to participate in targeted in-person consultations.
To participate in the EngageMB survey, visit http://engagemb.ca/a-bilingual-province.
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